I am a soon to be intern yes, but also have the advantage of having a car electrician as a father. I know that there is no task on any car with exception of diesels that he and I could not take on.

I kinda figured that I would not be able to go to a parts store for an XJS, I get all parts for my car online anyways. I know that each engine and car has its nuances and tricks, but an engine only varies so much and that I learned from my neighbor who was a master mechanic and enjoys helping us on our cars. My family has AAA so I would not be stranded and sharing a family car for a few days is not detrimental.

I would consider a 6 cylinder XJS and know the XJ6's around here are bullet proof, problem is that there are very very few 6 cylinder XJS's around here.

Did someone say something about a Corrolla? My friend is trying to get me to buy his for $800 with close to 300k miles and a slipping clutch... they seem to go forever, but everything else breaks on them. From my experience.

@orangeblossom
I like the way you described the Merc and is one reason why I am looking at one. If you have any experience with them, how are the 3.2 V6 engines? I would just feel insane for getting a '98 Benz with more than 150k miles verses the XJS with less than 50k miles.

 

I have owned two 96 XJS' since 2010, and using them as daily drivers.

I own a 2000 Ford Taurus as well (was a company car) and that car has run very well, with little to no maintenance for the 183,000 miles I have put on it. It did manage to strand me once, due to a failed starter.

My wife's 2005 Honda Pilot has stranded her twice over the 130,000 miles she has put on it. (Starter and known connection problem at the transmission cooler...wish I had known.)

The XJS gets a lot more attention than the other two cars, but has never let me down. Both cars had idle issues. The first one simply needed to have the fuel trims reset ($150 in labor), and the second one needed either new oxygen sensors and/or new coils (coils = $600, sensors = $400). Either way, it's work that anyone could do.

The six cylinder engine leaves so much extra space, that it is quite easy to work on. The only parts that are difficult to find are body parts. Tail light lenses, door seals, spoilers, and such.

The facelift XJS would be the only car I could recommend as a daily driver. I would fear that if something went wrong on the 12, it could take days before I had the time set aside to repair it, with the repair itself possibly taking longer than a day to complete. Repairs to the six, with few exceptions, would be easier to get to.

By the way, the only reason I'm on my second XJS is because the first one got rear ended, which ended up being totaled by the insurance company. I put about 30,000 miles on that one and I'm in for about 15,000 miles on the one I'm currently driving.

Good luck with your decision.

 

Should you get an XJS as a daily driver? I'm going to answer with a "definite maybe".

I would say to go for it as long as two important conditions are met:

1) You can arrange for a back up form of transportation. I'm not saying that an XJS (of any year) will break down on a regular basis, but you will have to invest a lot of time into maintaining the car. You might have to wait a few days for parts to arrive or you might realize that a certain job is going to take you a few more hours than you anticipated and you need to be able to get to work in the morning. And yes, sometimes it might take a few days for either your or a mechanic to figure out the cause of a particular problem. That's just the nature of the beast. Relying on any XJS (particularly an older one) to be your only form of transportation would be risky.

2) You do your homework and buy the best XJS you can afford. Don't buy one just because it has low mileage or because you can get it cheap. While a low mileage XJS can certainly be a nice car that's been garaged its whole life, there's also a good chance that it's been sitting for years because someone didn't have the time, knowledge and or finances to keep it running. There's no such thing as a "good, cheap fixer upper" when it comes to XJSs, and there's nothing worse than trying to figure out what a previous owner cobbled together in order to fix something when they couldn't figure out the right way to do it. And while this isn't a steadfast rule, when it comes to reliability, the newer the better.

Personally, I hope that you do decide to go this route and pick up an XJS as a daily driver. It's great to see older Jaguars out on the road. Just be sure that you understand what you're getting into. These cars aren't the cheapest to keep on the road, but as long as you're willing to invest the time and effort to keep it in good running condition, it'll definitely be a neat car to be able to drive on a daily basis.

 

It has been my experience that like any machine if used and maintained regularly has the least number of failures. These cars need to be driven.

 

@Tokyodon

How long have you had yours and do you use it as a main driver?

 

I did!

I get more SMILES per gallons and per outing than any other car I have had that is including the Sprite with a 10k rpm motor and a 4:80 rear end.. (that I built myself)

 

My Merc is a 1992 with 200,000 Miles on the Clock, which some would no doubt say is not run in.

I paid £1,000 for it (from a dealer!) and is the Best Car I've ever owned to use as a 'Daily Driver' as well as an ideal Companion Car to the XJS.

Why? Its still in Showroom condition, with no signs of rust and always starts on the button even in the Winter and sits out on my driveway all year round, with 100% oil pressure all the time.

I don't wrap Her up in 'Cotton Wool' like I do with the XJS and to all intents and purposes, this Car is my 'work horse' and is used to pull a big trailer and has even been used to up root the occaisional Tree!

She often gets covered in dirt and mud and doesn't always get washed but what She does have is an 'Image' that no amount of 'grime' can cover up and always gets respect wherever she goes.

Running Costs are minimal as I get around 40-45mpg compared to only 15 mpg on my XJS.

I recently put on a new set of Tires/Tyres for the Merc £160

While a new set of Tires/Tyres for my XJS set me back £800 and just 'Tripping' around in the Summer, cost £2,000 in Petrol alone! together with £250 for Callipers & Brake Parts and I do all the work myself.

For which I am indebted to the Forum members, who are always ready and willing to give advice. Thanks 'Greg in France' and Others.

Buying yourself an XJS is the easy part but running one is a whole new different ball game and in your Situation as an Intern, I would rather be free to hang out and enjoy myself.

Than spend all my time and money on maintaining and running an XJS which like a 'High Maintainance' Mistress will bleed your Wallet dry, in no time at all!

So in your Situation I would go for a C220 diesel Merc, unless of course you would prefer the older Classic type.

 

Warning!
This XJS post contains the words diesel and Mercedes!
Don't panic!

 

Yes they do and I am one of them, I drive my car to and from work daily, as well as taking her on long interstate trips.

The only time she has let me down was a flat battery, not her fault, the battery decided to kill a cell.

 

Trust you to pick that up!

What was I thinking! (Hangs head in Shame)

I will do my best to limit the use of the 'M' word and 'D' word in future.

But just check this out!

http://www.classicsmonthly.com/files/2010/10/jaguar.pdf

 

Neat job but it will still sound like an oil burner though?
Even worse than an SBC mutant (I'm a purist in case you hadn't guessed!).

 

My XJS with SBC has never let me down. I use it as daily driver.

 

Interesting conversion. That is about what my neighbor gets with his BMW. I don't think I would have the heart to convert one myself, kinda am a bit of a purest. Mainly because if I want a Jag I want a Jag not a Chevy or BMW... I think I am going to test drive some cars and go from there. I will come back and say what I went with.

 

Daily Driver...


Well,
When I brought my XJS home...
the Wife Mini Van had a Horrid fit of jealousy and threw its water pump at me...
So I had to take her to work in the v12...
then the next day I had to run and get parts for a domestic Mini van that the water pump with a life time warranty cost a total of 19.99
took an hour to put in and then I had to burp it twice...
now it is just fine...


so yes... drive it...use it to get parts for your other cars, take the wife to work a kid to school... I get lots of smiles...

 

Haha that made me laugh. Silly wives.

 

Going back to the original question........
Yes.

 

I bought my 95 XJS 4.0 just over two years ago as my daily driver. I drive with a little sprit and average 15 to 16 mpg all of which is in town and in Atlanta traffic. Had to correct some things when I bought it, but it has been as reliable as any car I have owned. The best part of driving it... I don't see myself coming and going at every turn. All the new cars look alike with very little individuality. Even my wife's 99XJ8L for the last 11 years has been very reliable. She gets a lot of comments on hers as well. They can't believe it is as old as it is. I do maintain my cars better that recommended. I do preventative maintenance myself.

 

Found a daily driver for you.
If I had it I would live in it.
Lister XJS MkIII 7 litre For Sale - KWE Cars

 

Stop it, stop it, you must not show addicts their addiction! Love the pics on the KWE site, particularly the rear suspension layout, at last I understand how an A frame works!
Greg

 

Listers, they are like buses;

Alders Classics - Lister XJS Widebody version